Data Layout

Introduction

The Place Name Database contains the official names of US cities, towns, counties, and other “populated places” as defined by the US Census Bureau and the US Government.

For each named place the database includes latitude and longitude coordinates of the place, the Census code, the state abbreviation and state FIPS code, the county name and county FIPS code.

If the place lies in two or more counties, all counties are listed.

The database contains more than 196,000 place name records, and is approximately 20 MB in size (uncompressed).

The database is available in comma delimited ASCII (CSV) format.

Because this database is available as a simple text file, it can be used on almost every type of computer, including PCs and compatibles, Macs, and Linux workstations.

List of Files

Fixed length (ASCII)

• places.txt

Layout and Definitions

Place Name Database (places.txt)

Column Name	Type	Definition
Place Name	nvarchar(250)	The Place Name is the actual name by which the place is locally known. We have standardized spellings to eliminate abbreviations and alternate spellings where practical.
ST	nvarchar(250)	The State code is the normal two-letter state abbreviation, such as CA, as assigned by the US Postal Service
Census Code	nvarchar(250)	The Census Code is a 5-digit numeric field containing a numeric identification assigned to each city, town, borough, village, or census district in a given state by the US government. You may wish to combine the 5-digit Census code with the 2-digit State FIPS code to yield a 7-digit code which can be used to uniquely identify each place in the USA.
Place Type	nvarchar(250)	The Place Type field broadly defines the place as a populated place or other political entity. This is an interpretation of the Census Bureau place class code.
Class	nvarchar(250)	The Place Class is the specific definition of the place type, according to Census Bureau standards. See the accompanying document, class.txt cenclass.pdf , for a complete list of Census Bureau place class codes.
ST FIPS	nvarchar(250)	The State FIPS code is a two-digit numeric code assigned by the Federal Government to each of the states and territories of the USA
CNTY FIPS	nvarchar(250)	The County FIPS identifies a county which contains some portion of the place identified by the place name. The County FIPS Code is a 3-digit field containing a unique numeric identification assigned to each county in a given state by the US government. You may wish to combine the 2-digit state FIPS code with the 3-digit county FIPS code to yield a 5-digit code which can be used to uniquely identify each county in the USA. The County FIPS field is treated as a text field to prevent the loss of leading zeroes. If the County Count field is 1, the place is entirely contained within this county.
County Name	nvarchar(250)	The County Name field identifies a county which contains some portion of the place identified by the place name. The county name is associated with the county FIPS code field.
Cnty #	nvarchar(250)	The County Number field indicates the record number within a group of records belonging to a place which exists in multiple counties.
Lat	nvarchar(250)	The Latitude and longitude fields contain the geographic coordinates of the place in units of degree
Long	nvarchar(250)	The Latitude and longitude fields contain the geographic coordinates of the place in units of degree
Feature ID	nvarchar(250)	The Feature ID field contains the official identifier assigned by the US Geological Survey for that place.

Code and Definitions

Place Name Database (places.txt)

Column Name	Code	Definition
Class Code	A1	Airports. Airport with scheduled commercial flights that also serves as a military installation.
	A3	Airports. Airport with scheduled commercial flights that does not serve as a military installation.
	A4	Airports. Airport without scheduled commercial flights that does not serve as a military installation.
	A6	Airports. Airport without scheduled commercial flights located within a military installation.
	B0	Post Offices Not Corresponding to Other Locational Entities.
	C1	Incorporated Places. An active incorporated place that does not serve as a county subdivision equivalent.
	C2	Incorporated Places. An active incorporated place legally coextensive with a county subdivision but treated as independent of any county subdivision.
	C3	Incorporated Places. A consolidated city.
	C4	Incorporated Places. An active incorporated place with an alternate official common name.
	C5	Incorporated Places. An active incorporated place that is independent of any county subdivision and serves as a county subdivision equivalent.
	C6	Incorporated Places. An active incorporated place that partially is independent of any county subdivision and serves as a county subdivision equivalent or partially coextensive with a county subdivision but treated as independent of any county subdivision.
	C7	Incorporated Places. The balance of a consolidated city excluding the
	C8	Incorporated Places. The balance of a consolidated city excluding the separately incorporated place(s) within that consolidated government.
	C9	Incorporated Places. An inactive or nonfunctioning incorporated place.
	D0	American Indian Areas. Statistical or legal area administered and/or claimed by two or more American Indian tribes.
	D1	American Indian Areas. Legal federally recognized American Indian area consisting of reservation and associated offreservation trust land.
	D2	American Indian Areas. Legal federally recognized American Indian area consisting of reservation only.
	D3	American Indian Areas. Legal federally recognized American Indian area consisting of off-reservation trust land only.
	D4	American Indian Areas. Legal state-recognized American Indian area.
	D6	American Indian Areas. Statistical American Indian area defined for a federally recognized tribe that does not have a reservation or off-reservation trust land specifically a tribal designated statistical area or Oklahoma tribal statistical area, but excluding Alaska Native village statistical areas
	D7	American Indian Areas. A tribal subdivision.
	D9	American Indian Areas. Statistical American Indian area defined for a state-recognized tribe that does not have a reservation or off-reservation trust land, specifically a state-designated tribal statistical area.
	E1	Alaska Native Areas. Statistical area that represents the densely settled portion of an Alaska Native village; an Alaska Native village statistical area
	E7	Alaska Native Areas. An Alaska Native Regional Corporation.
	F1	American Indian Areas. Legal state-recognized American Indian area.
	H1	Counties and County Equivalents. An active county or equivalent feature.
	H4	Counties and County Equivalents. An inactive county or equivalent feature.
	H5	Counties and County Equivalents. A statistical county equivalent feature.
	H6	Counties and County Equivalents. A county that is coextensive with an incorporated place, part of an incorporated place, or a consolidated city and the governmental functions of the county are part of the municipal govenment.
	M1	Federal Facilities. A military or other defense installation that is partially within a census designated place.
	M2	Federal Facilities. A military or other defense installation entirely within a census designated place.
	M3	Federal Facilities. Health care facility.
	M4	Federal Facilities. Federally managed park, forest, or other area.
	M9	Federal Facilities. Federal facility not classified elsewhere.
	P1	Populated Place that is also an incorporated place with the same name and the same Census Code.
	T1	Active Minor Civil Divisions. An active county subdivisio that is not coextensive with an incorporated place.
	T2	Active Minor Civil Divisions. An active county subdivision that is coextensive with a census designated place.
	T5	Active Minor Civil Divisions. An active county subdivision that is coextensive with an incorporated place.
	T9	Inactive Minor Civil Divisions. An inactive county subdivision.
	U1	Populated (Community) Place (except those associated with facilities). A census designated place with an official federally recognized name.
	U2	Populated (Community) Place (except those associated with facilities). A census designated place without an official federally recognized name.
	U3	Populated (Community) Place (except those associated with facilities). Alternate official common name for an incorporated or census designated place.
	U4	Populated (Community) Place (except those associated with facilities). Official common name for a populated location within an incorporated place.
	U5	Populated Place that is also a census designated place with the same name.
	U6	Populated (Community) Place (except those associated with facilities). A populated place that is not a census designated or incorporated place having an official federally recognized name.
	X0	Obsolete or Incorrect Name: Deleted feature that was a nongovernmental entity.
	X1	Obsolete or Incorrect Name: Deleted feature that was a governmental entity.
	Z1	Inactive or Nonfunctioning Primary County Divisions. A nonfunctioning county subdivision.
	Z3	Inactive or Nonfunctioning Primary County Divisions. A county subdivision defined as an unorganized territory.
	Z4	Inactive or Nonfunctioning Primary County Divisions. A nonfunctioning or disorganized historical county subdivision no longer recognized by the Census Bureau.
	Z5	Inactive or Nonfunctioning Primary County Divisions. A statistical county subdivision.
	Z8	Inactive or Nonfunctioning Primary County Divisions. A county subdivision that is legally coextensive with all or part of an incorporated place that the Cenus Bureau does not recognize.